Lin Xi and Francis stared at each other for a moment. The latter's gaze was unusually calm, as calm as a robot's.
But the strange thing is precisely this: within his calm eyes, there seems to be something peculiar, something that... could create a secret connection between Lin Xi and him.
The feeling was incredibly mysterious, mysterious and ethereal, almost like a hallucination.
In a brief moment of dazed awareness, Lin Xi felt Francis's emotions slowly flowing towards him. It was an indescribable closeness and affection, thick and dense, almost tangible. Lin Xi's own soul, however, felt as if it were sinking into a swamp, slowly sinking...sinking...
"Hey, Dr. Lin Xi... Francis... what the hell are you two doing?"
Just as Lin Xi was about to be completely enveloped by that "emotion," Jerry's rude shouts suddenly came through the communicator.
Lin Xi couldn't help but shudder.
Everything before felt like a brief nightmare at midnight, which shattered abruptly upon waking.
An alien wind blew by, and the plants surrounding the two of them surged once more with nauseating bright purple and green hues.
Lin Xi then came to his senses. He subconsciously shook his head and was surprised to find that he had been staring at Francis for a long time without realizing it, even forgetting his current situation.
Well, the two men staring at each other until they were in a daze might be considered romantic on Earth... but in the current situation, it only makes Lin Xi and Francis look foolish and reckless.
"Let me go."
Lin Xi spoke to Francis one last time, and as soon as he finished speaking, he abruptly pulled his wrist back from the latter's grasp.
This time, Francis did not stop him. However, a small ripple appeared in his calm eyes. He looked down at his palm, and his cold expression turned sorrowful.
If Lin Xi himself hadn't been involved, he would have thought that Francis seemed to have been hurt—heaven knows why such an expressionless man, who exuded a cold aura, would act like an abandoned large military dog for a moment.
Heartbroken, but restrained and patient.
Lin Xizhen hoped that the emotions she saw on Francis's face were just her imagination.
Because he knew perfectly well that he only felt awkward and helpless in the face of Francis's various intimate behaviors. Francis's attitude towards him was so strange that he couldn't understand it. It might sound presumptuous, but Lin Xi always felt that Francis might have special feelings for him. However, considering Francis's other behavior, Lin Xi's guess seemed to lack evidence.
I have no intention of having any kind of intimate relationship with anyone at this damn time. —Message from: Lin Xi
Lin Xi dodged Francis and touched his wrist through his glove.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he sent the message directly to Francis via a private channel. His attitude was clear: he could not possibly have any romantic relationship with Francis.
Just moments later, he received a loud notification sound.
Your message has been rejected — System Message
Lin Xi: "..."
He looked at Francis with suspicion.
The man standing so close to him remained calm and indifferent, his staring gaze sometimes sending a chill down one's spine.
If it weren't for the rejection message still flashing brightly on her personal terminal, Lin Xi might have thought that her information being rejected so directly was just an illusion.
From Francis's perspective, he was completely unmoved.
"Damn it, what are you two dawdling for? You better catch up! This isn't an amusement park on Earth, damn it—"
Just as Lin Xi awkwardly looked at Francis, the captain's curses rang out once again.
Jerry's voice betrayed an unusual annoyance. Of course, to Lin Xi, that annoyance actually sounded more like fear.
"I'm sorry, sir."
Lin Xi gripped the communicator and spoke quickly. Then he gave that enigmatic man one last look.
For a fleeting moment, Lin Xi even felt as if she saw a crimson light in Francis's eyes.
He was slightly startled, but he quickly realized that it was just the reflection of the surrounding brightly colored plants in Francis's pupils.
"you……"
Lin Xi pondered subconsciously.
Francis suddenly turned his head, staring intently at Lin Xi, but remained silent.
Lin Xi immediately pursed his lips, turned his head away, ignored Francis, and strode quickly toward the exploration team that had already fallen behind.
He already has enough troubles; he absolutely doesn't want to add another emotional one to them.
Lin Xi said to herself.
Francis followed him silently, his steps steady and quick, maintaining a close yet not too close distance that would make Lin Xi too wary.
If Lin Xi had paid more attention to Francis, he would probably have discovered that Francis was actually a quick learner—he learned how to manage his relationship with Lin Xi faster than anyone else, and he knew better than anyone else how to appear harmless yet intriguing in front of Lin Xi.
They quickly caught up with the others, and apart from Jerry turning around to look at them and grumbling a warning, no one paid them any attention, not even the sarcastic remarks that Lin Xi had prepared for.
Lin Xi shrugged and silently joined the team. He had no doubt that the current tranquility was purely due to the entire exploration team silently enduring the intense dizziness caused by the surrounding environment. The experienced team members were alright, but the mercenaries and the newly recruited crew members seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Lin Xi frowned as she listened to the noisy murmurs and complaints inside the channel. She was somewhat surprised to find that she had only experienced a slight dizziness, which made her stand out in the entire team.
"Why can't we wear sunglasses?"
It wasn't that no one had made such a suggestion during this period; Lin Xi wasn't surprised at all, as it was also made by a complete novice.
Faced with this question, Jerry simply smiled coldly and turned the novice's helmet into black and white mode.
"vomit--"
The unfortunate man probably only lasted about ten minutes before the sound of him vomiting filled the entire communication channel.
"Oh my god, please shut up."
"Shut up--"
...
Complaints rose and fell within the communication channel.
Among this group of people with pale faces, only Francis remained unfazed, making him seem somewhat out of place.
He even helped Lin Xi regain his balance when he almost fell again.
One thing to thank God for is that this time he didn't hold Lin Xi's hand so tightly as before.
Even so, Francis's consideration for Lin Xi stood out in the entire exploration team.
That's true, at least for some people.
It was not only conspicuous, but also extremely strange.
The two exploration team members standing at the back of the group exchanged a glance. They were also full of doubts about Francis's actions—before this, the promises given to them by "certain people" did not include such intimate interactions with Lin Xi.
In fact, what they should really do is find a suitable opportunity to kill Lin Xi on this planet.
Bryce and Elisa were both puzzled as to why so many people believed what John Bronson said.
The answer they sought actually lay within the minds of these two mercenaries.
In fact, almost everyone who harbored hostility towards Lin Xi knew why—John Bronson was the chosen one. The alien god had warned them of impending tragedy, revealing many things through John Bronson, things unimaginable to ordinary crew members. Having witnessed the evidence, these crew members close to John Bronson were certain that as long as they followed the instructions of the mysterious spirit, it would ensure their survival and well-being—but only if Lin Xi died.
Otherwise, it would be you who die, my poor fellow humans...
The strange, hoarse, soft tone still seemed to linger in the ears of the two mercenaries, which only intensified their anxiety and confusion.
For the rest of the journey, the two mercenaries would occasionally give Francis a coded signal; they needed to talk to him, after all, he had been their leader before. However, ever since returning from solitary confinement that night, Francis seemed like a completely different person.
Some even believe that perhaps during the short time he spent alone with Lin Xi in that dark, confined room, he had already been bewitched by her.
Otherwise, at least at this point, he should have given some indication of their coded message.
But now, look at that man; he's practically glued his eyes to that man named Lin Xi.
Lin Xi was unaware that her interaction with Francis would make the other members of the team uneasy and confused.
After realizing that Francis wasn't inexplicably sticking close to him like before, he relaxed a little. Then, the strange natural environment of this planet attracted his attention.
During the nearly four-hour hiking expedition, the environment surrounding the small team seemed to remain unchanged.
Even if they exist, the features of those terrains become blurred and faint under the cover of overly bright colors.
They passed a small lake, or rather, a pool, but the ever-changing light on its surface, like an oil film, made it indistinguishable from the surrounding gentle slopes.
One of the newbie team members almost fell directly into the small pool of water. No one knew what was underneath what appeared to be the surface. Many people screamed in alarm. Jerry rushed over and pulled the newbie straight out of the soft, muddy soil by the lake like a radish.
Then, without waiting for the teammate to react, he fired a shot directly at the foot of the man.
"Sizzle—"
The laser beam emitted from the gun emitted a faint buzzing sound.
In that moment when everyone was stunned, a wisp of white mist emerged from the bottom of the team members' sealed exploration shoes.
A flat object covered in a thick, gelatinous substance gradually faded in color and fell off the sole of the team member's shoe.
Its mouth is wide and large, filled with fine teeth, and its eyes have degenerated into tiny dots, evenly dotting its pale body surface.
Only then did the team member let out a low, terrified groan.
"What the hell is this?!"
"That thing that can eat your feet whole, damn it, damn it, damn it! Can't you guys even look at a map when you're walking around?"
Jerry yelled at the teammate.
"Don't stray from the path! You'll never know what lurks on either side of the road..."
Just as Jerry was reprimanding the newcomer's colleague, Francis turned his head at almost the same moment. However, his gaze did not fall on Jerry and the unfortunate guy who almost had his foot eaten off by an alien insect. Instead, he looked directly across the colorful lake and into the distance of the plain.
For the first time ever, a look of annoyance appeared on his usually expressionless face.
Lin Xi didn't know what was wrong with her, but she was able to notice the man's movements so quickly.
"What's wrong?"
He couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
Francis blinked behind his mask.
His cheeks were slightly flushed.
Then he opened his lips...
Lin Xi held her breath and waited intently for his response.
But a few seconds passed, and Francis said nothing.
"Francis?"
Lin Xi couldn't help but frown slightly.
Francis pursed his lips in frustration and pointed in the direction he had been staring at.
Lin Xi looked in the direction he was pointing.
At first, Lin Xi didn't notice anything wrong.
The sky here is deep red, and only very occasionally will a thin mist, resembling clouds, drift across the sky.
At the horizon where the sky meets the horizon, there is a faintly glowing arc of light, the reflection of sunlight from the distant mountains.
However, now, that arc of light is dimming—
etc--
dim?
Lin Xi immediately realized something was wrong.
"...Alright, let's move on. Next time, I won't offer any assistance to anyone who deviates from the planned route. We—"
At this point, Jerry stopped rambling, but before he could finish speaking, the others interrupted him with uneasy whispers.
"Team, Captain—"
Someone pointed to the lake that Jerry was facing away from.
Not far from the entire team, the surface of this small pool suddenly rippled like fish scales.
Lin Xi stared intently at the growing, thicker black shadow in the distance and raised her voice.
"Look over there—"
He shouted.
Jerry turned around, and his panicked scream immediately came through the communication channel.
"Oh no, no no, run! It's a storm—"
The next second, everyone started running, even though they had no idea what the storm on the planet was all about.
Because besides these humans, countless small and large creatures rustled out of their shelters and fled swiftly in the opposite direction.
It can be said that if it weren't for this accident, the humans in the exploration team would never have imagined that for such a long time, in what they thought was a silent and desolate alien plain, there were actually so many creatures traveling with them.
Most of these organisms resemble insects on Earth, such as spiders, ants, and cockroaches, but upon closer inspection, they exhibit completely different characteristics.
Lin Xi could clearly see the golden-red "ants" carrying three shells on their backs, swaying forward like hermit crabs; he could also see spiders with two red blood vessels and pupils like human eyeballs on their eye stalks; and even a swarm of huge, buzzing brown insects—Lin Xi could immediately tell they were cockroaches—even on an alien planet incredibly far from Earth, they hadn't changed their appearance, probably because this form was close to evolutionary perfection for this species, resulting in similarities on two different planets. Oh, of course, their Earthly counterparts probably didn't possess such superb flight abilities as bees, nor such enormous, plump bodies.
As the swarm of cockroaches flew directly past the running exploration team in a certain direction, the team's communication lines were filled with screams of extreme fear.
"Shut up, conserve your energy—"
In the end, Jerry had no choice but to let out a desperate cry, stopping a few people from courting their own demise.
But frankly, his reminder was actually meaningless.
In such an unfamiliar environment, humans have absolutely no advantage relying solely on their physical strength.
Even the most disgusting insects on the ground are much faster and more agile than humans.
The high temperature and the completely sealed exploration suits easily exhausted most of the exploration team's physical strength, not to mention that in their panicked escape, this small group of humans had long since deviated from the planned route.
By the time they realized this, they had already run nearly three kilometers with the fleeing insects.
As for the "storm" that Jerry didn't have time to explain before, it has now approached to a point where its terror can be felt without needing to say more.
As Lin Xi ran, he subconsciously glanced back out of the corner of his eye, and he quickly regretted his action—the scene he saw could easily affect a person's will to survive.
That was indeed a storm, and a massive, catastrophic one at that.
If I had to describe it, it looked like a super tsunami on land. However, a tsunami creates a wall of water with towering waves, while what's inside the wall of wind that this storm created, which almost encompassed the entire world, is something that humans have no idea about.
Lin Xi didn't want to know what was inside.
The damp, undeveloped land, after being scurried across by countless insects' sharp limbs, became soft and slippery. Many individuals had already been brutally trampled into clumps of insect mud during their escape. The slimy fluid squeezed from their bodies was wet and slippery, causing many to fall. They would get up and continue on their way. This land, which had once presented itself as vibrant with five colors, was now stained a murky, chaotic muddy mess by the insect corpses and their sap. The road gradually became winding, and the filthy color made this escape route seem endless.
"Damn it, we've gone the wrong way!"
Soon, someone shouted into the communication channel.
They had indeed gone the wrong way. When Lin Xi looked up and stared at the scene before him, his heart sank.
Perhaps in this world, disasters will indeed continue to be summoned.
The exploration team instinctively followed the panicked insects as they fled for their lives, unaware that they had unknowingly left the flat plain and arrived at a rugged hill.
This explains why their stamina depletes so quickly.
Moreover, the road ahead for them will only become more and more difficult, and everyone knows that they have no other choice.
"Beep beep—beep beep—Oxygen circulation error—beep beep—Oxygen circulation error—"
To make matters worse, after prolonged strenuous exercise, both the human lungs and the oxygen supply system of the exploration suit reached their limits.
Lin Xi missed a step while trying to step over a rock, and his foot sank into the mud. The overly bright colors caused his eyes to misperceive the terrain in front of him.
He tried to get up, but his breathing was erratic, and he soon found himself unable to muster any strength.
"Huff... huff..."
Lin Xi was breathing heavily, and sweat dripped down her brow bone.
For a moment his mind went blank, and on the other side of the mask, he saw several human figures that were constantly wriggling.
The orange exploration team uniforms were now stained with green and yellow insect juices, and Lin Xi only realized how slowly his companions were redoing the work after he stopped.
The storm is getting closer and closer.
Lin Xi was certain that he was not the only one who was unable to move due to exhaustion.
"We're doomed, God, we're dead—"
Someone broke down in tears over the communication channel.
Lin Xi had difficulty identifying the person, as their communications were disrupted as the storm approached, and their conversations were filled with a hissing noise. The heavy equipment behind them was also beginning to sway from side to side in the strong wind, slapping heavily against their backs.
For a moment, Lin Xi almost agreed with the idea of the person crying loudly on the communicator.
Yes, they're finished.
The howling wind had turned into a tremendous roar, so loud that even through the exploration suit, Lin Xi's ears were ringing. He braced himself on the ground with his hands and knees, and then he realized with horror that the ground was trembling slightly.
Stones, soil, the roots of some unidentifiable alien plants, and the remains of some unlucky little insects floated up from his palm and were then swept into the air.
Even Lin Xi herself felt her body swaying.
Perhaps the next second, he will be the one caught in the storm.
A storm of this magnitude could easily tear this group of inexperienced exploration team members to shreds.
(If that weren't the case, those insects hidden deep in the soil wouldn't have needed to flee so frantically.)
He might die.
Lin Xi thought.
However, the information they received from Bryce was probably just that "the staff member is missing."
Lin Xi vaguely remembered that there seemed to be one or two other three-person teams that had also reported missing before—did they also encounter such a storm while conducting extravehicular exploration?
Lin Xizhen hoped that her death wouldn't cause Bryce too much grief.
Perhaps Elisa can properly comfort Bliss...
Just as Lin Xi was breathing and lost in thought, an arthropod almost the size of a basketball swiftly darted past him.
This insect has a somewhat comical appearance, with its swollen abdomen and short, thick limbs combined with its large, round compound eyes, making it look even a little cute.
Lin Xi didn't know why she noticed it at such a critical moment, even though there were many more strange-looking insects around it, busy trying to escape.
His gaze was fixed on the panicked insect, whose bright yellow body stood out even in the chaotic environment.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Xi's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Don't give up!"
Without hesitation, he shouted to those still online in the communication channel.
"Follow the insects, they know where the shelter is! Look, it's right there up there!"
Lin Xi wasn't talking nonsense (well, although he also suspected that he was just having some kind of delusional thoughts due to extreme tension) – just now, he had personally witnessed the insect with the comical bright yellow body burrowing into the hill with its kind.
It was an inconspicuous entrance to the cave, especially in this world of overly vibrant colors.
Several brightly colored rocks are stacked on top of each other, and there is a gap at their base.
Those insects crawled in through that crack.
In fact, during that brief observation, Lin Xi had already discovered the destination of the massive insect swarm. On the hill in front of them, there were many similar rock crevices, and the insect swarm split into countless streams, which poured in one after another without hesitation under the pressure of the storm.
"What are you looking at... I can't see anything..."
It seems someone responded to Lin Xi in this way.
Lin Xi knew that was because some people had completely lost their will to live due to extreme exhaustion.
He gasped for breath and gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand up again.
But the foot stuck in the mud remained firmly in place. Lin Xi's sweat seemed to have gathered into a puddle at the junction of his helmet and neck. He knew very well that this was not because the mud was too sticky, but simply because he had no strength.
"No...you must be kidding...I clearly saw it."
Ignoring the fact that the public communication channel was still open, Lin Xi muttered to herself, her face pale.
Then, suddenly, his body felt light.
Someone grabbed his hand and pulled him up from the ground.
"..."
Lin Xi, panting, looked at the person—it was Francis.
Francis was completely different from his companions. His orange exploration suit was impeccably clean, except for a few unavoidable mud spots.
Moreover, his voice and his complexion both indicated that he had absolutely no physical problems.
In fact, he was in peak physical condition, just like someone who had just jumped out of a patrol car.
At this moment, he was staring at Lin Xi with his eyes lowered.
"Lin Xi..."
He called out softly, his tone tinged with affection.
Then he helped Lin Xi walk forward.
Lin Xi had to put most of his weight on Francessi, which made him very uneasy, but the latter did not seem to be affected by Lin Xi's weight.
Francis's steps were unusually steady and rapid; it seemed that in just a few breaths he had led Lin Xi to the front of everyone.
The wind was already quite strong by this time, and small stones covered in slime and mud kept hitting the two explorers' suits. Meanwhile, visibility around them was also decreasing rapidly.
Lin Xi had no choice but to cling tightly to Francis, whose steady gait gave Lin Xi an indescribable sense of comfort—of course, this sense of security was based on the fact that he did not notice anything unusual about Francis's lower body: countless fleshy tentacles were sprouting from the gaps in the exploration suit and then deeply burrowing into the soil beneath his feet.
Their presence easily stabilized Francis's body.
However, Francis's face gradually turned pale as a result.
“We need to get into the crevice where those bugs are burrowing, or we're really going to die here—follow me—”
Of course, in the current situation, Lin Xi could hardly notice the strange behavior of the man beside him. In fact, he was yelling desperately into the communicator, trying to save those people.
However, the quality of audio transmission in the communication channel has reached its worst point.
Lin Xi knew that some people responded to him, but the sound was just a chaotic rustling.
"Damn it—"
Left with no other choice, Lin Xi forced herself to ignore the battery warning and instead turned on the headlight on her helmet.
Perhaps in this way, in an increasingly worse environment, others will be able to see him.
Soon, the edge of the storm reached their area.
The area that was barely recognizable before is now just a dark expanse of flying sand and stones.
Lin Xi thought he would panic because of this, but surprisingly, he didn't.
He even had a strong intuition that, even without sight, he could still find the right place—the safe haven that could accommodate everyone.
"We need to get there—"
Lin Xi suddenly tugged at Francis, and they adjusted their direction together. Lin Xi held him tightly; in this apocalyptic world, the man beside her seemed so solid and reliable.
I don't know how much time has passed, maybe a few minutes, or maybe a few hours?
In short, that short stretch of road, which he hadn't estimated to be very far, almost exhausted the last bit of strength Lin Xi had accumulated. Fortunately, he managed to touch a rough but solid rock just before he was completely exhausted.
The surfaces of those rocks are quite smooth, perhaps because they have experienced countless storms like this over the past hundreds of millions of years.
Lin Xi bent down and found the crevice between the rocks he remembered. Trembling, he took the fog light from his waist and tied it to the entrance of the cave as a guide for the others. After doing all this, his body went limp, and he rolled directly into the crevice.
"Bang--"
After a short roll, Lin Xi landed directly on a cool, flat stone slab.
He lay on the ground, staring blankly at what was above him.
The helmet's internal light provided a faint glow, making it impossible for Lin Xi to see the surroundings clearly. However, he was certain that it was a vast underground cave—just as his intuition had predicted.
Once outside, where the apocalyptic storm roared and screamed, the interior of the cave was as calm as the deep sea.
Lin Xi took a long, long time to catch his breath inside the dimly lit cave. Before that, he heard Francis lightly jump down from the cave entrance.
He walked towards Lin Xi and then carefully helped her up from the ground.
"Lin Xi..."
He called softly.
The spotlights inside the helmet had been lit earlier, and Francis's face, under the slightly bluish light, looked as handsome and serene as a sculpture made of fine marble.
"I...I'm fine." Lin Xi forced a smile. "Although I don't know why, thank you, Francis."
"Um."
Francis stared at Lin Xi's smile for a long time before nodding silently.
Lin Xi felt a little annoyed upon hearing his brief response.
He thought he could at least get a "you're welcome" response.
"Bang--"
However, his attention was quickly drawn to the sound of a human body crashing from the other end of the entrance.
"Oh, my God."
He heard a hoarse murmur, followed by a string of profanities and curses.
But at this moment, nothing made Lin Xi happier than hearing human voices.
"Jerry?! It's you!"
He shouted.
"It's me, it's you, right? Dr. Lin Xi!"
Jerry's voice then rang out.
“Yes, that’s great…you’ve caught up…”
"Oh, yes, yes, thank you for leaving the mark, Doctor."
Jerry slowly moved toward Lin Xi's position.
His thanks were brief, but Lin Xi could hear the deep gratitude in his voice.
After him, several more voices came through the cave entrance, one after another, with occasional people bumping into those who came later because they didn't have time to move. But no one got angry, and even though they were constantly swearing, you could hear the joy in their voices.
However, as the storm intensified, after the first few people entered, there was no sound coming from the direction of the cave entrance for a long time.
The jubilation and commotion of surviving the ordeal faded away in a short time, leaving only silence.
No one uttered a sound, but everyone knew that they, now huddled in this dark cave, were probably the only survivors of the exploration team.
“Amber, Corliss, Leonius… It’s such a shame they couldn’t make it.”
Among the group, Jerry displayed remarkable composure. He counted the number of people and then spoke calmly.
When they jumped out of the patrol car, the squad had fifteen men; now, there are only nine left.
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